Internal-combustion rotary engine.



H. LEE.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.16,1906.

Invenfbr fz ez'eri lee 5 Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

4 SHBBT8SHEET L Wifnesses Wlfnessea H. LEE.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLIUA'IION FILED APR.16,190B.

904,974. Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2 3y Ma H. LEE.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLIOATION FILED APR.16,1908.

904,974. Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

4 BHEETSSHBET 3.

Wfirress es Irv/enfor- (VT/1. iga/ lrezzflee aojmw X Ma H. LEE.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLIOATION FILED APR 1a, 1909.

904,974. Patented Nov. 24, 1908 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

J! QQ M 6.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT LEE, OF KENBINGTON, NEAR SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

Application fled April 18, 1908. Bcrlal No. 497,387.

To all whom. it may concern:

. Be it known that I Hnnann'r LEE, a sub- {ect of the King of Great Britain and Ireand, residing at Bowral street Kensington, near Sydney, in the State of New South Wales, in the Commonwealth of Australia, on ineer, have invented certain new and usefu Improvements in Internal-Combustion Rotary Engines, of which the following is a specification.

The purpose of this invention is to rovide an internal combustion engine wor 'ng on the rotary principle, which will utilize the power of the gases generated by the exglosion more full than has hitherto been one. Its essentia features consist of a rotary compressor, an intermediate rotary valve and a nave or rotor carrying a sliding piston within a chamber of peculiar construction and varying contour. But in order that the invention may be clearly understood reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the machine. Fi 2 and 3 are sectional elevations thereof. ig. 4 a perspective view of the rotor. Fig. 5 a similar view of one of the terminal piston shoes withexpansion strips removed. Figs. 6 and 7 are enlarged detail views of the arrangement of the e anding plates and rings. ig. 8 a perspective view of the intermediate valve. Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic view showing the method of ascertaining the contour of the periphery of the piston chamber (hereinafter called the cylinder) and the position of the rotor t erein. p

The cylinder 10, the valve-chamber 11 and compression-chamber 12 are all integral. They are surrounded by the water-jacket 13 provided with intake and delivery pipes 14 and 15 respectivel Within the cylinder is the hollow rotor 16 eccentrically placed, carrying a sliding piston 17 and provided with internal ex ansion-strips 1B, for the purpose of provising gas-tight joints. The piston has side expansion strips 19 and is fitted with terminal shoes 20 fulcrumed on its ends and bearing against the inner periphery of the cylinder, so as to form a gas-tight joint therewith throughout the whole of its revolution. These shoes are centrally divided and tongued as. shown at 21 -(see Fig. 5) and provided with expanding-springs 22 and a longitudinal recess 23 to receive the expansion-bars 24. In the outer face of the rotor are cut the recesses 25, for the purpose of receiving the shoes. Fitting wit in the recesses 26, provided therefor along the face of the rotor, are a series of ipring packingbars 27, bearin upon the at sp gs 28. These packing are have lips 29 fitting in the recesses 30 within the rings 31 provided with expanding springs 32. The rin 31 have concentric tongues 33 fitting withm the annular recesses 34 of the rotor, also into the recesses 35 in the ends of the,spring packin -bars 27.

Vithin the rotor, which is secured b the bolts 37 to the flanges 38 integral wit the spindle 39, is the central cavity or chamber 36 for the reception of the coo in medium. The spindle has bearings 40 witi stufiin boxes 41 and hollow annular chamber for reception of the cooling medium, also intake pipe 43 and delivery 44. The rotor and flanges are both provided with openings 45 to permit the circulation of the cooling medium. The exhaust 46 and the lubricating cu 47 connect with the chamber 10.

Eonnecting the cylinder with the valvechamber is the port 48 having a sparking device 49, one terminal of which throu h insulatin material 50 (see Fig. 3).

Wit in the va verchamber revolves the rotary valve 51 rovided with two concaved recesses or chain rs 52 diametrically opposite one another; and leading from valve-chamber is an exhaust pipe 53, while the lubricati cup 54 also connects there.- with. From t is chamber the port-passe 55 leads into the compression chamber 2 which is fitted with thelubricating cup 56 and a vapor supply pipe 57. The compressor consists of a rotor and piston 58 similar in construction to that operating within the cylinder 10, the parts bearing similar numerals of reference, while the flanges 38 are integral with spindle 59 working in bearin 60 and having stuilin -boxes 61, also ho low annular chambers 6 for the reception of a coolin medium; with intake and delivery pipes 6% and 64 respectivehy.

The driving shaft 39 carries a y-wheel 65 and a gear wheel 66 eraga ing with gear wheel-67 on the valve-s in e 8 which again gears with the gear w eel 69 on spindle 59 of the rotor58.

Near the entrance to the port passage 55 the riphery of the required chamber.

points ww.

(see Fig. 1 and 71 (see Fi 2) one having a safety va ve 72 and the ot er a regulating valve 73. I

The method of obtaining the contour of the cylinders is as follows :Referr1ng to Fig. 9 :--With the oint b as center describe the circle one of a diameter e ual to that of the re uired rotor. Throug the pomt b draw t e vertical line hh cutting the circle 000 at the points e and 9. From eg cut oil a portion ea bearing the relation to eb (the diameter of the rotor) of four to three. With a as center and ae as radius, describe the circle rw' cutting the line hh at e and 'n and meeting the circle 000 at e. Throu h the oint a draw the line 99 at right ang es to hi. Through the point 6 draw the line f parallel to 9 cutting the circle rrr at t e Trisect ab (the line connecting the centers of the two circles) at the points k and m. With has center and with as (the radius of the larger circle) as radius, describe the arc 00 meeting the line gg at the oints 88- Bisect the line ak at the oint Z. ith l as center and lw asvradius, escribe the arcs we which will connect these points and complete the contour of the inner pe- The same contour can be obtained by mechanical means as follows :Construct a disk cc to represent the rotor and a slide .2 (provided with a central longitudinal slot u and the guide pins m1 fastened in the said disk) to represent the iston. Place this slide along the line if wit the pointers a: and y on the points w and w as shown. Move the disk (carrying the slide) clockwise with the pointer a: following the curve of the circle w'r between the points w and 11;, when the pointer y will describe the curve w, s, 0, p, 0, e, 'w thus com leting the required contour.

The method of operation is as follows The charge of vaporized oil enters the comression chamber 12 by the intake 57, being rawn in by the rotation of the piston 17. The forward movement of this iston then and leadin? therefrom are two by-passes 7d compresses the charge into one o the cham- 05 The exhaust 53 is provided for the purpose i bers 52 ofthe rotary valve. The compressed charge is carried around by the rotation of the valve and exploded in the cylinder by means of a sparking plug or other suitable device. The explosion chamber consists really of the valve chamber 52, the port-passage 48 and a small area" of the cylinder confined between its inner walls and the surface of the rotor in the immediate vicinity of the said ort passage. Meantime, the second cham er of the valve has received. charge of the compressed vapor which is in turn carried around and exploded, thus 'ving an explosion at each half revolution 0%the piston. The expended gas exhausts through the port 46.

havingla tary valve in the valve cham occur immediately when the end of the iston shown approaching the port 48, s all have passed it.

I do not bind myself to the relative capacities of the compression chamber, the rotary valve and cylinder shown in the drawin s, as under various workin conditions, modifications therein may be ound advantageous. Also if, for certain classes of engines, it should be considered desirable to increase the number of explosions at each revolution of the piston, this can be accomplished b a corresponding increase in the number o chambers rovided in the rotar valve. It would also e possible to provi e a second piston crossing at right ang es to that shown herein. This would necessitate a corres onding alteration in the position of the exhaust 46; but though such modification mi ht possess certain advantages there Wonk? be a material deficiency in the utilization of the expansion of the as as compared with the construction which% have shown.

What I claim andldesire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. An internal combustion rotary engine, com rising a compression chamber, a rotor in t e chamber and having a sliding piston provided with a shoe at each end, an explosion chamber, a rotor in said chamber and sliding piston rovided with a shoe at car. end, a valve cliamber between the compression and explosion chambers, and having ports leading therefrom to said compression and explosion chambers, and a rotary valve in the valve chamber and having two oppositely arranged chambers.

2. 11 internal combustion rotary engine, comprisin a compression chamber, an explosion cham er, a valve chamber between the compression and explosion chambers and having ports leading therefrom to said compression and explosion chambers, a rotary valve in the valve chamber and having two olppositely arranged chambers, and rotors in t e compression and explosion chambers, each rotor having a central chamber for a cooling medium and provided with a sliding piston having a, ivoted shoe at each end.

3. An internal combustion rotary engine,- comprisi a compression chamber, an explosion cham r, a valve chamber between the combustion and explosion chambers and communicating therewith throu h ports, a roer and having peripheral chambers, and rotors in the compresslon and ex losion chambers, each rotor aving a centre chamber for a cooling medium and provided with spring pressed pcripheral packing strips and with a sliding piston having a pivoted shoe at each end.

4. An internal combustion rotary engine, comprisin a compression chamber, an explosion cham er, a valve chamber between the compression and explosion chambers and communicating therewith through ports, a rotary valve in the valve chamber and having peripheral chambers roters in the comression and ex losion chambers. each rotor aving a centra chamber and provided with a sliding piston having shoes at its ends, I

bearings for the shafts of the rotors and having annular chambers communicating with the chambers of the rotors, and gearing between the rotor of the explosion chamber and valve and rotor of the compression chamber.

5. In an internal combustion rotar engine, a compression chamber, an exp osion chamber, a valve chamber communicating with the compression and explosion chamhere, a rotary valve in the valve chamber, and rotors in the compression and explosion chambers, each rotor having oppositely arranged eripheral recesses, an provided with a piston sliding throu h the rotor and having at each end a pivote shoe adapted to be seated in the said recesses.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HERBERT LEE.

Witnesses WILLIAM NEWTON, WALTER TIGMONT. 

